Tag: American New Wave

Rewind, Review, and Re-Rate: ‘Body Heat’: First Time Director Lawrence Kasdan’s Smoldering Noir Thriller

R | 1h 53min | Drama, Romance, Crime, Mystery, Thriller | 28 August 1981 (USA) A late arrival to the American New Wave period, Lawrence Kasdan nonetheless cemented his stature in that era by co-scripting “The Empire Strikes Back” and being the solo screenwriter on “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” both produced by George Lucas. So impressed and confident was Lucas with…


Rewind, Review, and Re-rate: ‘Chinatown’: A Perfect Storm of Writing, Direction, and Performance

Arriving at the peak of the “American New Wave” period, “Chinatown” marked the creative zenith for many of those involved in the production, and in particular Robert Towne, who went on to win multiple awards for his screenplay, still considered by most to be the finest of its kind ever written. Towne’s was the sole…


The Slow Resurgence of Black and White Cinematography

Although it has never fully gone away, there was a point when black and white cinematography fell out of favor, not only with audiences, but also the studios producing and marketing feature films. Contrary to popular belief, the advent of color didn’t show up in 1939 with “Gone with the Wind” and “The Wizard of…